Vehicle manufacturers commonly offer article carriers such as luggage racks as an optional item for sale with a new vehicle. Such article carriers are adapted to be mounted on a body panel of the vehicle, either the rear deck or the vehicle top and the carrier is installed on a vehicle assembly line. A typical article carrier for installation on the rear deck is comprised of a pair of side rails each having a stanchion at the front and rear end and a cross rail extending between the rear stanchions. A plurality of load supporting slat assemblies are disposed within the side rails and are individually secured to the deck lid. A slat assembly typically comprises a sheet metal slat in a channel-shape which is provided with an end cap at each end. Each end cap may have an opening therethrough to receive a tie down cord for articles to be carried on the rack. A protective rub strip extends lengthwise of the slat and closes the upper side of the channel formed thereby and may be snap fitted into place to engage the upper edges of the slat. An insulating liner is disposed between the bottom of the slat and the body bracket by a snap-in bail and socket joint. The Ingram patent U.S. Pat. No. 4,281,783 granted Aug. 4, 1981 discloses a detachable luggage carrier which is mounted by legs extending through the deck lid and retained in place by detents.
It is a general object of this invention to provide an improved pre-assembled end cap and slat for an article carrier which overcomes certain disadvantages of the prior art.